BIOMAGNETIC STUDY OF CARDIAC-ARRHYTHMIAS

Clinical magnetocardiographic mapping was initiated in the Cardiovascular Biomagnetism Unit of the Catholic University of Rome about 10 years ago. Since then several hundred patients have been investigated. However, the most interesting data have been collected after the development, in 1984, of the present laboratory configuration, which allows simultaneous MCG mapping and invasive electrophysiological procedures. Perspective studies have been carried out to validate the accuracy of MCG for localisation of arrhythmogenic structures and for early detection of patients at risk of sudden death. Although the diagnostic applicability of the method is still under evaluation, preliminary results are reported, concerning 120 patients, investigated between 1985 and 1990, with cardiac arrhythmias associated with ventricular pre-excitation, ischaemic heart disease or cardiomyopathies.